What does it mean when we talk about doctor shortages?

Canada's premiers accepted the federal government's billion-dollar health-care funding proposal — which came after months of negotiations — last month, but many policy experts are skeptical about whether it will be enough to fix the current health-care crisis.

Provinces and territories finally agreed to a deal on health care — though the initial reaction was, for the most part, lukewarm.

Ottawa is committed to spend $196 billion over the next decade, including $46.2 billion in new funding. 

But while the proposal's $196-billion price tag may seem astronomical, provincial and territorial leaders say the new funding is nowhere near what they actually need — even if PC Leader Dennis King calls the cash injection "certainly not insignificant."

"What's lost in the conversation, that we need to continue to focus on, is that it isn't just money we need. We need innovations. We need to change how we deliver health care," he said.

"We've led, maybe, Canadians to believe that money is going to fix this. That is not totally accurate."

Most policy experts interviewed by CBC News agree.

Some are skeptical about a deal that places few conditions on provinces to move forward with the changes needed to fix the system. The majority are optimistic, arguing the crisis triggered by COVID-19 will push governments to act. 

But all agree that nothing short of a radical reimagining of the system can actually fix the issues that have plagued the country's health-care system for decades.

In P.E.I., much like elsewhere in the country, the health-care system has been under intense pressure since the pandemic. 

Islanders are now familiar with long hospital wait times, ER closures, overworked and stressed health-care professionals, and a growing patient registry list.

"If you're asking physicians, it's about our lack of access to the tools and the resources that we need to do our jobs to take care of patients. If you ask patients, it's about the lack of access to physicians," said Dr. Krista Cassell, president of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island.

"Bottom line is, you know, it's been a tough few years with COVID, and then for us here in P.E.I. the impacts of Fiona.… We don't have the people to do the jobs, we don't have the resources. And it's all led to a system where everything is backed up."

But the issue of a health-care crisis is not new, and in fact health policy experts have been warning for decades about workforce shortages.